100 Best Rock Songs of the ‘90s

Every decade in rock history has had something special to offer. The glam metal scene was suddenly swept clean by the alternative revolution that emerged in the ‘90s. Alternative rock became the dominant rock genre in the ‘90s. The decade witnessed a change in musical directions.

Towards the end of the ‘90s, traditional grunge began to decline in popularity and post-grunge bands with a modern sound began to emerge. Indie rock started being associated with underground bands in the alternative scene. Newer forms of rock music started taking shape (a trend that has continued post 2000). A number of songs in the alternative, punk, grunge, hard rock, alternative metal, heavy metal, pop-rock, and indie rock genres became massive rock anthems during this decade.

The article below showcases a diverse number of ‘90s rock songs. If you are a music buff from this era, you'll definitely have something to say. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

Top 10 Best Rock Songs of the ‘90s

“Creep”—Radiohead

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”—Nirvana

“Wonderwall”—Oasis

“Lightning Crashes”—Live

“November Rain”—Guns N’ Roses

“Semi Charmed Life”—Third Eye Blind

“Nothing Else Matters”—Metallica

“Under the Bridge”—Red Hot Chili Peppers

“More Than Words—Extreme

“Runaway Train”—Soul Asylum

The Changing Face of Rock Music in the ‘90s

The alternative scene helped a number of new rock subgenres emerge. Punk, nu metal, and ska (among other genres) became exceedingly popular in the ‘90s. Grunge, a subgenre of alternative rock, gained ground in the early ‘90s. A number of grunge bands with a raw, hard hitting sound found space for expression. Alternative and grunge went on to become a global phenomenon. Clearly, a new style of rock song had stamped its authority on the decade.

Best Rock Songs of the ‘90s #11-20

11. “Black Hole Sun”—Soundgarden

12. “No Rain”—Blind Melon

13. “Killing in the Name”—Rage Against The Machine

14. “You Oughta Know”—Alanis Morissette

15. “Basket Case”—Green Day

16. “One”—U2

17. “Everlong”—Foo Fighters

18. “Buddy Holly”—Weezer

19. “Come as You Are”—Nirvana

20. “Interstate Love Song”—Stone Temple Pilots

The Alternative and Grunge Revolution

During the '90s, alternative and grunge had a colossal impact on the music industry. The alternative metal scene, which took shape during this decade, helped branch diverse forms of music that have since formed the core elements of the modern rock sound. Alternative rock songs achieved a great deal of mainstream success throughout this decade. Elements of alternative, hard rock, and heavy metal merged to form unique metal subgenres. While alternative and grunge music were never a part of mainstream rock prior to this decade, throughout the '90s, a number of alternative and grunge bands achieved mainstream success in the music industry.

Best Rock Songs of the ‘90s #21-40

21. “Tears In Heaven”—Eric Clapton

22. “What I Got”—Sublime

23. “Mr. Jones”—Counting Crows

24. “Closing Time”—Semisonic

25. “Smooth”—Santana and Rob Thomas

26. “Losing My Religion”—R.E.M.

27. “Enter Sandman”—Metallica

28. “Song 2”—Blur

29. “Zombie”—The Cranberries

30. “Hunger Strike”—Temple of the Dog

31. “You Get What You Give”—New Radicals

32. “Are You Gonna Go My Way”—Lenny Kravitz

33. “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)”—Green Day

34. “Loser”—Beck

35. “Cannonball”—The Breeders

36. “Nothing Compares 2 U”—Sinead O’ Connor

37. “I Don't Want to Miss a Thing”—Aerosmith

38. “Give It Away”—Red Hot Chili Peppers

39. “Alive”—Pearl Jam

40. “Don’t Speak”—No Doubt

The Success of Heavy Metal Subgenres in the ‘90s

During the '90s, a movement to diversify heavy metal swept across the musical soundscape. As a result, several new metal subgenres emerged. At the same time, experimental sounds started changing rock's identity. Thrash metal and speed metal also achieved considerable success in the ‘90s.

While the majority of these bands released albums on independent record labels, a few bands bagged major recording contracts with established music labels. These contracts caused industrial metal to erupt onto the scene, pushing the genre to new heights.

Best Rock Songs of the ‘90s #41-60

41. “All Apologies”—Nirvana

42. “Freak on a Leash”—Korn

43. “Say It Ain’t So”—Weezer

44. “Bitter Sweet Symphony”—The Verve

45. “Paranoid Android”—Radiohead

46. “Crash Into Me”—Dave Matthews Band

47. “Everybody Hurts”—R.E.M.

48. “Rooster”—Alice in Chains

49. “Been Caught Stealing”—Jane’s Addiction

50. “Tubthumping”—Chumbawamba

51. “Mysterious Ways”—U2

52. “Thunderstruck”—AC/DC

53. “Man in the Box”—Alice in Chains

54. “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”—Smashing Pumpkins

55. “All Star”—Smash Mouth

56. “Closer”—Nine Inch Nails

57. “Iris”—Goo Goo Dolls

58. “Heart Shaped Box”—Nirvana

59. “All I Wanna Do”—Sheryl Crow

60. “Jeremy”—Pearl Jam

The Third Wave of Hard Rock

Although the popularity of hair metal declined with the emergence of grunge, certain glam metal bands has considerable success early in the decade with their brand of rock ballads. In fact, a number of hard rock bands released successful albums throughout the decade and maintained their popularity by reinventing their sound.

Acoustic Based Rock Styles in the ‘90s

Acoustic rock songs found mainstream success in the '90s. A number of young bands and artists blended soft rock with alternative to create a new kind of pop rock. The singer-songwriter format of the ‘70s took on a new shape during this decade. Rock songs with poetic leanings became anthems for youth. The teen pop-rock sound opened new pathways for musical explorations that helped new subgenres emerge.

Comments

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Cassandra

2 weeks ago

I think Skunk Anansie and Anouk (Nobody's Wife) were forgotten on this list

Karanoz

7 months ago

Definitely was the best decade for new rock style and free thought for music, not only in Rock, Hip Hop, Dance, EuroDance, Electronic, the list is great, congrats, nowadays is only bullshit, sound's machines and computers modifications, stupid lyrics and empty thoughts.

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